Hong Kong
Hong Kong
I travel to see the world as it is, but sometimes when I travel I get to witness the world changing. When I went to Hong Kong in late 2019, the world was a very different place. What I didn't know then was that I would see the start of two world-changing events that effect us to this day.
My plane waiting at the gate in Chicago
My flight to Hong Kong was on Cathay Pacific out of Chicago. Although it took about 16 hours, the flight was fantastic. Cathay Pacific is an old-school airline that provides real service. I was seated in Premium Economy, but it felt like I was in First Class. To this day it is still the best flight I have ever taken. If you ever get the change to travel with Cathay Pacific Airlines, do it!
Squid from a vending machine
After immigration, I waited for my girlfriend Stephanie (at the time) in the Arrivals Hall. She came in an hour later than me on a Japan Airlines flight. To pass the time I got 'Sweet and Sour Squid' out of a vending machine and shockingly it didn't result in violent defecation!
Once Stephanie landed we had to go to baggage claim to collect her suitcase. I say suitcase, but it was really a shipping crate. Why do women do this?! They pack like it's the 1920s and they are going on an ocean-liner for a month to tour the Okavango Delta.
Sheung Wan streets
We would be staying in Sheung Wan at a Holiday Inn Express. The room was on a high floor and the view of the city was stunning. The only way to describe it is "Blade Runner". It was late and we were jet-lagged, so we went to bed.
Because of the time zone change, I woke up at the crack of dawn the next day. Stephanie was still sleeping, so I went for a walk around the streets of Sheung Wan. Even at that uncommon hour of the morning, the city was already bustling with activity.
Victoria Harbour
Temple
Stephanie was awake when I returned. After a shower, we headed out for our first full day in Hong Kong. Steph had found a temple close to our hotel. I tried looking it up for this article, but it doesn't seem to be there anymore. Very sad, as it was beautiful, but I think it was one of the many victims of the pandemic.
At the temple, we had to light 'joss sticks'. 'Joss' is a traditional Chinese concept. It does not directly translate, but it sort of means "luck"...but also so much more. Joss sticks are incense that you light in the temple and set into sand at the altar. Always seeking auspiciousness, I lit two.
View from Victoria Peak
Our next stop would be Victoria Peak (Queen Victoria got a lot named after her when Hong Kong was a British colony). The peak overlooks the city, and it is a long climb up there! Stephanie was very fit, but I must confess she is NOT a hiker. She struggled, to say the least. When we reached the top and saw the magnificent view I said, "See, this was so much better than taking the tram up here!". She looked at me with eyes of pure fire and brimstone, "There's a fucking tram?!?!". That concluded our day.
Day two was set aside for randomly exploring the city. The only thing on the agenda was to go to a history museum near the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. I got an Uber to take us.
The author surveying the detritus from the
previous evening's riot at the Polytechnic University
Late 2019 was the peak of the 'Democracy Protests' in Hong Kong. I won't get into the details of what it was all about, but what I do know is that the police were laying siege to the Polytechnic University when our Uber driver dropped us off there.
It was a hell of a thing to see. The protestors would pull up the bricks of the sidewalks and then use them to assault the police during the riots at night. The day we were there the rioters had found the university's archery-team equipment and shot a cop in the leg. Tensions were HIGH to say the least.
Stephanie, being the little left-wing activist that she was, thought this was all great. I, on the other hand, was desperately trying to avoid a Chinese prison. When Stephanie was taking the photo above, a policeman with a loudspeaker barked out something in Cantonese from a an armoured-personnel carrier. A local kid walking by said, "He just said don't take any photos". I looked at Stephanie and said, "Let's get the fuck out of here...".
Riot Police defending the Louis Vuitton
(I can't believe I had the guts to take this photo)
Looking to avoid the political unrest, we walked back into Central Hong Kong. Of course, we strolled right into a full-on protest. I stood on an elevated footpath that crossed the street and was about to take a picture when a policemen in full riot-gear with a tear-gas grenade launcher told me I couldn't stand there. He then said, very nicely I might add, "If you go over there you will get a much better view". My heart nearly exploded, but I will say that the Chinese are some of the nicest people on the planet. Every person there, even in the middle of this protest, was courteous to the foreigners.
I think the best thing I got out of my trip to Hong Kong (and Macau) was my interactions with the Chinese. I didn't know what to expect, but every single one of them was wonderful. I believe the big difference between Westerners and them is that they don't associate an individual with their government. In other words, they didn't 'blame' Stephanie or I for the actions of the American and British governments.
If you think about it, here we are, two westerners who have come to China in the middle of a massive violent political event. Not only that, the Chinese government believed that many of these 'democracy protestors' were being organized and funded by American and British intelligence agencies. In spite of all of that, we were treated with utmost kindness and decency. I dread to think how we would behave in the West if the roles were reversed.
Our third day was spent in Macau. I will write about that adventure another time.
Repulse Bay
The day after our return to Hong Kong from Macau, Stephanie and I decided to head to a beach. For some reason we had an intense urge to swim in the Pacific Ocean while in Asia. Thus, we got an Uber to Repulse Bay on the south end of Hong Kong island.
Repulse Bay residences
Repulse Bay was a haven for pirates raiding the shores of Imperial China. In 1841, the British Royal Navy 'repulsed' them and their raiding ships from the bay, and thus the area got it's current name. As it has the best beach in Hong Kong, Repulse Bay is also one of the most expensive residential areas in the world.
The author, with stunning legs,
about to cross the 'Longevity Bridge'
at the Kwum Yam Shrine
At the southeastern end of Repulse Bay there is the Kwum Yam Shrine. There you will find statues to Kwum Yam (a Bodhsattiva representing compassion), and Mazu (a sea goddess in Chinese folk religion). The shrine also has the 'Longevity Bridge'. Every time you cross it a year is added to your life. After crossing the bridge 82 times and driving Stephanie crazy, we headed to a beach bar and got good n' tight on many cocktails.
Noonday Gun
For our final day in Hong Kong we took a walk to Causeway Bay. Our goal was to see the famous 'Noonday Gun'. The cannon is owned by the company Jardine-Matheson. Being one of the original 'Hongs', a British company based in China dating back to Imperial times, they have fired the gun everyday at noon since the 1860s. Watch the video to the end for Stephanie's reaction...
That evening we treated ourselves to a meal at a Japanese restaurant in Central Hong Kong. I knew we were in for an intense evening when, the moment we opened the door to the restaurant, every employee of the restaurant (including the kitchen staff) stopped what they were doing and shouted (something?) at us in Japanese. This would go on for the entire evening whenever someone entered or exited the establishment. I'd like to say we got used to it, but to this day it remains my only experience with fear-based dining. When we left the ENTIRE staff came out into the street and shouted at us in Japanese one more time to see us off. I must have left a good tip...or a bad one?
Postscript: You'll remember at the beginning I said my trip to Hong Kong allowed me to witness two world-changing events. The first was obviously the democracy protests. But, what was the second?
The morning after our harrowing evening in the Japanese restaurant, Stephanie and I flew to Miami (I had a meeting to attend). The moment we landed we were experiencing flu-like symptoms as well as migraines, a lack of smell, and difficulty breathing.
We went to a hospital in Ft. Lauderdale and the doctors there said they hadn't seen anything like it before...
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